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INSIDE: QUAKER DAYS

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA • FOUNDED 1885

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025

VOL. CXLI

NO. 12

UA reallocates funds to student groups following University-wide budget cuts The changes were announced on April 2 and came after a 5% cut to the Undergraduate Assembly’s allotted funding from the Office of the Provost CHRISTINE OH Staff Reporter

Penn’s Undergraduate Assembly convened a special budget meeting on April 2 to reallocate funds for student organizations for the upcoming academic year. The changes come after a 5% cut to the UA’s allotted funding from the Office of the Provost. The funding cuts — requested by the Provost’s Office and the Office of Student Affairs — are part of a “proactive and preemptive” effort from Penn to “cut funding by a certain percent,” according to College senior and UA President Ria Ellendula. According to Ellendula, Penn faces the possibility of an unprecedented endowment tax on the University “ranging anywhere from 5% to 40%.” As a result, Penn’s administration implemented a 5% funding cut for each department — including money allotted to the UA by the Provost’s Office. During the meeting, members of the UA and other constituents expressed concerns for student groups already experiencing financial strain and asked whether it was feasible to tap into reserve funds, which total approximately $170,000. “We have talked to Katie Bonner, who’s the executive director of the Office of Student Affairs, and she said that depending on certain variables, there’s a likelihood that we could drain the reserve fund up to $150,000,” Ellendula said. Engineering senior and UA Treasurer Chandler Cheung stressed the unprecedented nature of the funding cuts and the importance of considering the potential need for the reserve fund in the future. “We don’t know how long these cuts will last, and the Provost’s Office doesn’t know what’s going to happen,” Cheung said. “So I wouldn’t recommend draining the entire reserve fund just See UA, page 8

JEAN PARK | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Three Penn students had visas revoked, ISSS says Several Penn faculty members and state and local politicians spoke with The Daily Pennsylvanian to criticize the revocations JASMINE NI, ETHAN YOUNG, ISHA CHITIRALA, AYANA CHARI, ANVI SEHGAL, AND CHRISTINE OH News Editors, Senior Reporter, and Staff Reporters

The federal government revoked “at least three” Penn students’ visas and terminated their immigration statuses, according to an email from International Student and Scholar Services sent on April 7. The Monday message stated that Penn learned of the changes to the students’ immigration statuses through a check of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program database — an online system managed by the Department of Homeland Security that tracks the records of international students studying in the United States. According to the email, the visa revocations were in relation to “immigration status violations and not connected to the 2024 campus protests.” The terminations at Penn come as 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s second administration cracks down on international students

and scholars across the country. Over 400 students, faculty, and researchers across American universities have faced similar actions — with many reporting they have not received direct notice from the federal government. According to a Tuesday email from Graduate School of Education Dean Katharine Strunk, one of the three Penn students who had their visas revoked earlier this week was an international GSE student. The April 8 email — which was sent to the GSE community — stated that the school was “working closely alongside colleagues across the University to ensure they have access to all available support and resources.” “I know how unsettling this is, especially for members of our international community. We will continue to keep you informed as much as we can,” Strunk wrote. “This is the first case we’ve

encountered at GSE, but it may not be the last.” On Wednesday, a University spokesperson declined to comment on whether more visas have been revoked since the email was sent. ISSS and DHS did not respond to multiple requests for comment. At the time of publication, The Daily Pennsylvanian could not determine the identities or exact number of students affected by the visa revocations. The email — which was signed by Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel and Vice Provost for University Life Karu Kozuma — specified that while Penn is “aware of reports of encounters with ICE agents at Penn,” federal agents have not been on campus in connection with the identified visa revocations. “We want to reassure the community that we are See VISAS, page 7

Conservative group sues Penn, alleging Black Doctors Directory discriminates against white physicians The March 18 complaint described Penn Medicine’s Black Doctors Directory, an online index designed to help patients locate Black doctors, as “racially discriminatory” ANVI SEHGAL Staff Reporter CONNIE ZHAO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Penn Band leads the Take Back the Night march across campus on April 3.

Penn community gathers for annual Take Back the Night campaign against sexual violence Organized by Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention at Penn, the event featured a resource fair, rally, march, and survivor speakout DARIA KNURENKO Staff Reporter

On April 3, over 100 Penn students, faculty, and community members gathered on College Green to participate in Take Back the Night, an international campaign focused on ending sexual, domestic, and interpersonal violence. Organized by Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention at Penn, the event featured a resource fair, rally,

march, and survivor speakout. Attendees held signs, lit candles, and shared personal stories as a call to action for collective healing and change. “Tonight is about reclaiming our voices, our spaces, and our power,” one speaker said at the start of See NIGHT, page 8

A conservative medical advocacy group filed a lawsuit against Penn alleging that Penn Medicine’s Black Doctors Directory violates the discrimination clauses of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Affordable Care Act. The March 18 complaint — which the Do No Harm advocacy group filed with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania — described the Black Doctors Directory, an online index designed to help patients locate Black doctors, as “racially discriminatory.” Do No Harm alleged violations of Pennsylvania law and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, in addition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “The Black Doctors Directory is illegal,” the suit read. “Congress enacted Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to root out racial discrimination by entities that accept federal financial assistance.” The directory was developed by the Health System, the Consortium of DEI Health Educators, and WURD Radio — all of which were named as defendants in the suit. A request for comment was left with a Penn Med spokesperson.

Co-founded by former Penn Medicine Associate Dean of Curriculum Stanley Goldfarb, Do No Harm is seeking “declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and nominal damages.” According to its website, the advocacy group aims to keep “identity politics out of medical education, research, and clinical practice.” “The Black Doctors Directory is yet another example of Penn Medicine and other institutions prioritizing identity politics over care,” Goldfarb wrote in a statement published the same day as the suit. Do No Harm launched the lawsuit on behalf of “at least one member” of the group who was “excluded from the Directory based on race.” Referred to as “Member A” in the case, the doctor allegedly treated their patients equally and “regardless of race.” “Member A finds it hurtful and disappointing that Defendants consider him to be less equipped or less capable of providing empathy and depth to black patients,” the suit read. Do No Harm argued that the doctor is “competitively disadvantaged” compared to those included See PENN MED, page 6

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